#also i have no idea what the hell his verses are supposed to mean but you do you bestie <3

[hwiyoungies]

hwiyoung ✧ bibora suit dance

#byfantasy #sf9 #hwiyoung #kim youngkyun #highly inspired by aléks to finally watch this and make some gifs LMAO #should take a break from my screen but also i need to gif yb #also i have no idea what the hell his verses are supposed to mean but you do you bestie <3 #b.edits

[hamliet]

Hazbin Hotel Has Better Theology Than Most Modern "Christian" Stories

As a Christian who was raised in a fundie cult and escaped to now have a far healthier and vital faith, I genuinely really like this show. The songs are bops. The characters are well crafted and interesting, and likable too. The art design is bizarre but appealing.

And, as a theology nerd who studied theology as part leaving said cult and also has since gotten papers published in theology, I'm actually fairly impressed by the show's handling of theology.

No, I'm not expecting the story to preach or even like, be explicitly Christian in a lot of ways. But it's taking a lot of the really beautiful aspects of Christian theology and re-contextualizing them in a way designed to provoke thought: by juxtaposing them with the antithesis of what you would think, by making demons heroes. In my opinion, this makes the beauty shine brighter.

Yeah, yeah, it's designed to be offensive and obscene in a lot of ways. Yet, it's never (thus far) mean-spirited. On the contrary, it seems to have a big, beating heart at its core that is perhaps best embodied by Charlie Morningstar, its protagonist and the daughter of Lucifer and Lilith.

Critique of the Church, with Caveats

The story works best with an interpretation that heaven isn't actually heaven or God (who has been conspicuously absent), but instead as a critique of the church. Specifically, the evangelical American church, and specifically, white evangelicals. (Same as She-Ra's premise, actually).

God's absence therefore makes sense, because while Christians do believe God is present as a living reality among us, we also can't like, see him physically now. So, God being not even mentioned in HH makes it seem more like a mortal reality rather than an immortal one. Honestly I kinda hope God doesn't appear in the story, not only because I think it could cross some lines (which is admittedly personal), but also because I don't see that the story really needs it.

Adam in particular reminds me of every "theobro" on Twitter (I'm not calling it what you want me to, El*n). Basically a dudebro coopting his supposed salvation to flex in an often misogynistic way, who doesn't realize that he has absolutely no love in him and therefore is actually a worse human being than everyone he condemns on the regular.

(Which is kind of why I'm expecting Adam to wake up in hell next season...)

Think red hats. And Mark Driscoll. And, I have a list of pastors. Sigh. They advocate for how "simple" Christianity is, except they themselves make it ridiculously complicated and don't even examine what they suppose is "simple" if it requires them to take the planks out of their own eyes. "Shallow" is a better description of what they actually preach.

But what sends people to hell or heaven anyways?

Eschatology and Atonement Theory

Hazbin Hotel combines a lot of theories, throwing not only the idea of a physical hell (albeit mixed with Dante's idea of what hell is the Inferno, but to be fair a lot of the church has adopted that idea too) but the idea of annihilation, which HH calls "extermination."

See, in Christianity, there's a lot of debate about hell. Like, since 2000 years ago. The reason is because a lot of Bible verses seem to indicate hell, but others indicate the eventual redemption and salvation of absolutely everything in the universe, so you have Christian universalism tracing itself back just as long. But, setting aside universalism, people who do believe in hell tend to fall into one of two camps:

Physical hell, aka suffering for eternity, or annihilation: the idea that souls that aren't saved end up annihilated, or snuffed from existence. HH combines both of them, wherein everyone lives in hell but then every so often heaven "exterminates" a certain number of sinners.

And then you also have Catholic purgatory, which is also adapted in HH in that... for most Christians, physical hell doesn't offer the ability to redeem yourself. Chance over, you're dead. But, Catholic Christianity, which draws on ideas of praying for the dead, has the idea that people can improve themselves or be prayed out of it and into heaven. This seems to be somewhat similar to the idea of Charlie's hotel, in that sinners can improve, redeem themselves, and rise to heaven.

And, I mean, it's already kinda worked. Sir Pentious acted out Jesus' words: Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

But anyways, the branch of theology that deals with the afterlife is eschatology. And Hazbin Hotel takes on a related form of theology as well, a type of theology I've only seen covered in stories once before (The House in Fata Morgana): atonement theory.

Atonement theory is something I remember well from my theology 101 class, as in I remember sitting with a friend and her turning to me and being like, "okay, so we know Jesus' death and resurrection give us eternal life, but we have no idea how or why?" To which the answer was "basically, yeah."

Most of the white, American evangelical church is very "penal substitutionary atonement," but the reality is that this theory has only been popular for the past few hundred years. It's also, imo, somewhat scripturally unsound. But there are a lot of other theories, and sometimes the theories overlap. Here's a fairly decent summary. (I'm in general a believer in Christus Victor.)

So how does atonement theory tie into Hazbin Hotel? Well, essentially the scene where Charlie and Vaggie are debating with Emily, Sera, Adam, Lute, and others in heaven is them going over various atonement theories and realizing that they actually know nothing at all. How does one get to heaven? How is one saved? They don't know.

Sera criticizing Emily for asking questions was also very relatable, and I feel for Sera. She's genuinely scared but the truth will set you free, Sera. John 8:32. Anyways, the point is like... the angels are an organized religion, an evangelical church, that preaches about simplicity but mistakes shallowness for simplicity and discourages depth and discovery.

Anyways, the whole crux of theological study and atonement theories is that they should promote humility. We don't know for certain on this side of the curtain. That's okay. So what do we have to guide us?

Love. After all, God is love (1 John 4:8).

Charlie is Jesus

"Why would you endanger your immortal life for these sinners?" 

Adam, the absolute worst, says the above to Charlie in the finale.

I mean... look. That's literally the premise of Christianity. That the immortal son of God comes down to earth, lives with sinners, loves us, and dies to save us. However that happens. Charlie even responds:

"They're my family!"

In other words, she loves them. Yeah, sure, they're destined for extermination, but they are going to be exterminated over her dead body.

In a lot of branches of Christianity, and even in some creeds--though I'm going to give into my pet peeves here and state that it is NOT Scriptural and relies on the faulty assumption that God is bound by time, when I think God exists outside of it--state that Jesus descended into hell after his death and took all the souls of people who were saved prior to his coming to earth to heaven. Again, I think that's small-minded at best. But, the idea that Charlie is working among them to bring them to heaven is pretty reminiscent of this idea. And I don't hate it lol.

Charlie sees worth inherent in everyone, and no matter what they've done, thinks there's a future for them. Honestly we need people like her on this earth.

Angel Dust

Angel Dust is clearly my favorite character. Bite back your shock, I know (I have a type). But his name is also a fascinating multi-layered pun.

Angel is clearly foreshadowing his endgame. Let's be real, we all know Angel is ending up as an angel. And "angeldust" is of course a name for PCP, and considering Angel's drug habits, yeah.

But, dust also has another meaning to it. See, when Adam was created in Genesis 2:7, the words in Hebrew are "apar min ha'adamah," which is translated literally as "dust of the ground." So the dust is what creates Adam, literally "ground."

In other words, I very much expect Angel Dust to end up being foiled with Adam even more so. Adam might be the first man, but Angel is the first sinner working towards redemption. And let's be real, for all Angel's flaws, he's already a better person than Adam. And if there's any hope for Adam (not that I particularly care if there is but) it'd be through realizing that he and Angel aren't actually different after all. Conversely (and not necessarily mutually exclusively), Angel might serve as a more symbolic "adam" in that he becomes the person all sinners look to for hope. Which, y'know, since "the last Adam" is also a Scriptural term for Jesus...

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45).

I fully expect Angel's arc, alongside Charlie's, to bring life and redemption for everyone around them. Maybe, maybe even the dramatic "all" of Colossians 1:20 (which means, literally, all, everything, everywhere, in the entire universe).

Closing Thoughts

But honestly, regardless of how the story ends--besides that it will presumably end happily because HH is at its core feel-good despite being profane--season one at least has got good theology. Why? Because it's digging into the questions that theology is concerned with. It's digging into the ideas of human nature, of what it means to be a good person, of what it means to redeem oneself, of affirming how precious each individual human soul is.

It doesn't offer cheap answers, and it specifically calls out the white American evangelical church for how it purports to be simple but actually just confuses people and punishes them for things they can't help, that creates more stumbling blocks than it does shine a light. And it does it in a way that is scandalous. Offensive to many religious people.

But, y'know, Jesus was pretty scandalous too.

So I really love the story so far because it emphasizes what I find so beautiful about my religion, and criticizes the parts that have also hurt me. I don't think it's remotely aiming to be a Christian allegory or anything like that, and I don't at all think anyone has to be religious to enjoy it or gain the core message of it, but I do think that it's doing a hell of a lot more good in the world message-wise than most evangelical movies of the past 30 years.

#hazbin hotel #hamliet reviews #theology #christianity #charlie morningstar #jesus #angel dust #angel hazbin hotel

[heathersproship]

I WENT AND SAW MEAN GIRLS YESTERDAY

Went in with low expectations, but hoping to like it. Listened to some of the soundtrack a few days ago and wasn’t exactly impressed. But I didn’t blame the rearrangements—not entirely. Some of it was questionable, but maybe it’d be like with NPMD where I’d like it more when I had the visuals to go with it (I vastly prefer The Summoning live, and also High School is Killing Me, rather than the studio audio). And for the most part, I was right! I had a nice time.

See below the cut for my thoughts on the songs, other details, and some Janis analysis.

First Things First

We started off strong with the garage setup and Cautionary Tale. The vertical screen on a horizontal one doesn’t bother me, so I love the whole bit with the phone, and Janis plays guitar!

What Ifs was a song I didn’t listen to beforehand, and I understood most of it til Cady got to school. Then I had no idea what she was saying, either because the music was too loud or she was singing too softly, or both.

Meet the Plastics (though really it’s just Meet Regina) was good. Loved the lights flickering and Regina’s hypnotic voice like a siren luring the unsuspecting Cady in. Or an anglerfish.

Stupid With Love was actually not that bad... in the first half. Once we were out of the classroom, it fell off for me. I suppose they were going for a dreamy walking-on-air cloud nine “too in your own little world to notice the world around you” vibe, especially at the very end, but Angourie’s soft vocals didn’t do it for me. I expected a burst of energy since they’re outside and have the freedom to move and be loud with it.

Apex Predator was beautiful visually. Musically, I’m still not sure what to make of Damian singing Cady’s lines when they were about Janis. It’s strange. Couldn’t even have her think them? Record Angourie in a booth to get a feel for how big she can go, play it over a few shots of Cady’s face or the scene in front of them, Cady looking at Janis as she secretly compares Janis and Regina while Janis and Damian are warning her about Regina? No?

The build-up to What’s Wrong With Me was good—love the usage of the music box—though the song itself was a bit awkward. It’s sad all the same though, and that’s the point.

Sexy was good. Blink and you’ll miss the Easter egg.

Someone Gets Hurt was visually stunning. My one gripe is that Aaron has ONE line. Just one. And he doesn’t even sing it because the actor just doesn’t sing (did they hire him for his looks? The fact that he was in TSITP, which I haven’t seen? Why hire someone who doesn’t/can’t sing... for a musical??). Couldn’t they get someone to dub him? It’s just one line. Was that too much to ask? Disguise Damian’s voice if you have to. Giving it to Regina was certainly a choice they made.

Revenge Party was a fucking banger. It’s so fun and hella camp, and I love that they reinstated one of the OG verses (two if you recognize the piñata line from another verse). Also like how the “yes, bitch!” line was also back, unlike in the Broadway recording, though I don’t think that exchange needed to happen twice. I love Janis just loudly popping up with “And ugly crying!” during the bit with the sprinklers like girl shut up you’ll blow your cover! But then there was also that weirdass decision to have it go handheld when Cady goes to get the candy cane. Did not like that, what the hell was that?

Damian singing the iCarly theme in French lmao okay sure.

Someone Gets Hurt Reprise was just as good as the original, I love it. My only nitpick is the wording. “Obsessed” rather than “in love with” though that might have something to do with the doll.

World Burn was epic. Except... okay. Regina waltzed right into school with the Burn Book in hand. What if someone saw her? And then her just deliberately dropping and leaving it on the floor. And people really walked past it before someone finally picked it up? Really? The payoff is excellent, just the setup was... questionable.

Now that I’ve seen it, I definitely like this version of I’d Rather Be Me a lot more than I did before. Especially how it ends. (Though Barrett is still bae.) There’s possibly an allusion to the music video with the running in the halls and going about the school. But my God, Auli’i fucking did that! And again, very glad they kept the curse in the OST.

If that was a reprise of Stupid with Love... here’s an idea: just stop. The horse is already dead.

I See Stars was? Fine? Tbh I don’t really remember it. Probably because the girl who doesn’t go there takes over halfway though. Way to pull your weight, Cady. Angourie did well for some things, but singing really isn’t her strong suit. Again, why hire actors who don’t have the range for a musical?

Other things:

I love that Janis does embroidery here. It just fits.

Did not like the sanitization. How can this be Mean Girls without one mention of “social suicide”? You can keep the bouncing boobs thing and blatantly asking if Cady wants to have sex with Jason, but the band geeks are “corny-horny” and not “sexually active”?

Heyy Ashley Park!

Cady scaring the shit out of Janis and Damian will never not be funny. They were even watching the same scene of the same movie!

I was really hoping to get a flashback of Regina and Janis, with Janis actually burning the doll, rather than Damian acting it out with the toys. Or at the very least, a shot of Regina’s backpack on fire (that would’ve been a great teaser image). So we can get an idea of what Janis was like before, if she went along with the fashion rules like “pink on Wednesdays” or if she was always a little off-beat and Regina pushed her further into it. Maybe even see if she was the queen bee as some people believe was the case back in the day.

Love the bit with music people in the tree and Janis telling them to stop lmao. I love when they do things like that.

Analysis:

So one of the main differences between this Janis and her predecessors is that once this Janis gets to a certain point, she’s satisfied and actually wants to stop so she and her friends can just enjoy their time together rather than asking Cady to take a single night off before, presumably, letting it go on longer. This makes the party betrayal hurt worse when Cady says she wants one more lunch with the Plastics, as it looks like she made the active choice to trade up rather than just forgetting about Janis and Damian in her attempt to ensnare Aaron. Janis’ satisfaction also makes her singing IRBM more justified than in the musical because the movie took away a crucial aspect of her character which made her a Mean Girl to begin with: her anger.

This iteration of Janis just doesn’t have the same level of pure rage that drives her the way Regina does—rage which made them two sides of the same coin—because in this version, Janis is actually gay. The whole conflict in the original was Regina labeling Janis as something she wasn’t, and 2004 being a more homophobic time in history was how it was able to fly. In the 2018 musical, when that was no longer the case, they had to add in another layer with Regina pretending the issue was that Janis couldn’t accept she wasn’t one of the six people invited to her birthday party, before revealing the real issue was the same as the first: Regina pushing a label onto Janis (though Barrett says she played Janis as a lesbian, this was not explicitly confirmed nor acknowledged within the show itself, and is therefore no more canon than Regina being queer because Renee Rapp says so, closeted or not). With Janis being canonically queer here, this takes all the power out of Regina labeling her a lesbian in the first place because yes, yes she is, and? Rather than the problem being about the label, now the problem became Janis’ reaction to the bullying that ensued.

While she had to leave school due to how bad the bullying was in all versions previously (frozen out in the original—according to Regina she dropped out; and having “space dyke” Sharpied on her locker in the musical—according to Damian her parents pulled her out) this is the only time we know of where she retaliated. By burning the plush (and also Regina’s backpack) with a Bunsen burner. Her own actions resulted in her getting kicked out rather than being forced out by circumstances beyond her control, and the choice to do it this way shows that a) while what happened to her was more insidious, she’s also slightly less of a victim than her predecessors, and b) she knows better than anyone actions have consequences—a line of dialogue explicitly absent in the movie’s opening number. She was content to stop where they were at, quit while they’re ahead, because her desire for revenge was satiated and she was ready to move on. Have lunch with Cady and hang out like they always meant to. She’s no longer a Mean Girl. While there was an injustice done upon her, she’s not so scarred by it she’s letting her rage get the better of her to the point it spirals out of control. She was ready and willing to stop. But Cady wasn’t.

And I don’t know how to feel about that.

I think that’s it.

#Mean Girls #Mean Girls 2024 #Janis 'Imi'ike #Janis Ian #Janis Sarkisian #Regina George #Cady Heron

[soupandflowers]

School Dance - Day 1

Made a Tumblr solely for @hongiceweek!!! This is probably all what this will Tumblr contain. I have not written for in years and this is the first that I have so? Please be kind about it. It was really difficult for what I wanted the first half, not to mention I had to cut things out from what I originally planned from my outline. But, I definitely did had an easier time around the second half. Maybe it's noticeable. Or not. Anyways this is set in nation verse. Sorry for the late submission! I'll probably get this uploaded to AO3 when I have a proper account, but please enjoy it here. Tags: Iceland, Hong Kong, Seychelles, Liechtenstein, hurt/comfort, nationverse, school dance, idk how this works Also 3,432 thousand words woops The Gang Joins In a School Dance!

As the group strolls their way down the dusk streets of London, damp lawns are dotted with blooming flowerheads and the clouds reflect the skies’ gradient sunset colors above as if the neighborhood matched the group’s enthusiasm. The friends excitedly babble amongst themselves chatting about the evening that awaits them.

Well, save for Iceland. 

As the sounds of muffled music, dancing, and obnoxious teenagers grow near, Iceland doubts swell and he shoots one more look at Hong Kong, who coolly keeps a steady stroll. Now, Iceland trusts Hong Kong, that’s for sure, but what he isn’t sure about is this boy’s ability to abide by the law and not risk himself getting arrested for it, nevertheless to add his friends to the equation.

And added to the equation that Iceland himself has been unfortunately added to. When Hong Kong called and invited Iceland to a questionable plan, he shot down the idea. Determined to change his mind, Hong Kong had spent the next 10 minutes trying to persuade his best friend to go- in which proved to be ultimately ineffective. However, to his dismay, the rest of his Nordic brothers overheard the conversation and, sold by Hong Kong's idea, they too collectively pestered Iceland to go. Outnumbered, he reluctantly agreed.

Fast forward to now, his reluctance still hasn't changed. Iceland, who once again is wondering if this is the best way to spend his little free time, glances warily ahead at the chirpy other three, who are now all flaunting in their best attire. 

“Lili! Let me help you out with your bow!”, exclaims Seychelles as she trots behind a flustered Liechtenstein . Hong Kong chuckles in their direction as he strolls alongside them. Hong Kong is sporting one of his best suits from England, while Seychelles nearly trips over her glittery blue long-dress, Liechtenstein fiddles with her rose colored and frilly outfit and as for Iceland… he opted for his world meeting attire.

As they near the high school building, Iceland slows to a halt. At his pause- the rest of the group turns back to look at him in confusion.

"Okay, Leon, are you actually sure about this?", stresses Iceland. "Because getting me to come here is one thing, but do you have any idea how we're actually going to enter?"

Hong Kong only returns a puzzled look.

"I mean, surely these people would realize we’re not actually students, right? That they realize who we actually are and we’re not supposed to be here."

"Yeah and? That's fine.” Hong Kong turns and continues walking.  “The worst that happens is that we get turned away. We'll just find some other way to crash."

“What the hell do you mean “crash!?” Iceland catches up next to him with the girls following right behind them.  “If we get caught, our bosses are going to give us hell for intruding amongst humans, especially in a private event!”

“Um, he’s got a point..”, Liechtenstein timidly adds. Hong Kong shrugs and passes Iceland,  striding forward to the gym entrance.

"No- You can’t just waltz right in...” And then Hong Kong proceeds to waltz right in.

Iceland’s face scrunches in disbelief. He watches his best friend disappear into the crowd.

Seychelles, not wanting to miss out, takes Liechtenstein's wrist and brushes past Iceland, eagerly following Hong Kong’s lead.

Iceland was left dumbstruck and he stood there for a solid minute. 

Through the entrance, colored spotlights flash accompanied by blaring party music, as voices of mingling students contribute to the racket.

Iceland cringes warily at the immense atmosphere. He heaves a frustrated sigh and subsides into the crowd to find the others.

—

As Iceland navigates his way through the gym, the music is blaring in his ears and already he feels suffocated by the swarm of people around him. Not even too long into the event and he already feels like all the noise and lights is trying to burst his head open. Hoping to find a familiar face soon, he scans the room as he struggles his way through the crowd. Fortunately, he didn’t need to take very long.

To his left, he spots Liechtenstein in the corner- who is hovering by the food stand and warily looking amongst the party around her.

He pushes his way through the crowd and upon approach, Liechtenstein’s shoulders lowers in his presence. Iceland returns with a polite gesture and glances around Liechtenstein.

He raises an eyebrow, “Where’s Jaqueline? Weren’t you with her?” 

Liechtenstein blinks. “Oh, Jaqueline? We were together, but she got caught up in the crowd.. And then I couldn’t find her.”

“Really? I know she wanders off easily, but I didn’t think she would leave you behind like that.”

“I don’t think she meant to do so.”, she sighs. “But regardless I tried looking for her and I cannot find her…” Iceland places a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Ah geez. Well, at the very least we can look for her together. In which.. have you seen Leon as well?” “Uhh..”, before she could begin her sentence their conversation is immediately interrupted by Seychelles bursting from the crowd, waving her hand up high and smiling and running up to the pair.

“Lili! Lili, Lili, Lili!”, smiles Seychelles. She runs up to her and takes both of her hands, holding it and starts apologizing profusely. “I am sososososooooo sorry for leaving you behind like that! I tried to find you but I got swept away and I was like freaking out because we got separated and I tried to asking others for help but there was this really mean group of boys who were so rude for no reason and then these girls came along and-” “Yo, Jaque!!”, shouts an unfamiliar voice. A teenage girl in a seafoam dress also emerges as well with 4 other girls trailing behind her. “Where did you go, and-”, Seafoam glances behind Seychelles. ”Oh my gosh, is this your friend who you were talking about? Oh my god she is so adorable!!”

Liechtenstein smiles nervously and blushes, as the other girls surround her and start showering her with compliments and questions about herself and her attire, as Seychelles looks proudly at her best friend. 

Meanwhile, Iceland is to the side watching the girls’ shenanigans unfold, unsure what to say, especially not when he didn’t understand the social manners of the opposite gender. 

He wouldn’t admit it, but seeing the girls interact and socialize with ease makes Iceland a little bit envious. People is something that Iceland has yet to figure out completely. 

“Oh!” Seychelles looks past the girls and finally notices Iceland. “I didn’t even notice you were there!” “Oh, uh- don’t worry about it, it’s fine”, shrugs Iceland, trying to play it off. Seychelles steers off from the group and trots towards Iceland. 

“I didn’t actually think you would come join.” “Well, I don’t know”, Iceland’s brow furrows. “I’m only here because I got dragged to it in the first place, alright? Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what else to do with my time.”

Seychelles grins and places a hand on Iceland’s shoulder. “Well, I’m sure happy that you decided to come along, Emil! It’s not very often that we get to hang out, do we?” “I guess so, but I’m still not very sure of this.” “About getting caught? I don’t think it’s been an issue so far.” “No, not that- well, yes, actually you’re not wrong about that but like”- he puts his hand on his chin. “I’m not used to events like these, especially with a lot of people at once.”

“Hm? But there’s always the world meetings and you’ve never had any issues with that?”

“That’s because I’m with my brothers. Outside of you, Lili, and Leon, the only people that I’ve interacted with were out of diplomacy- not for getting to know them.”

“Well…”, Seychelles smiles widen and her eyes meets Iceland’s. “Then why don’t we try helping you with that?”

“What?” Suddenly, Seychelles turns out and cups her mouth with her hands.

“HEY GUYS!!”, Seychelles calls out to her new profound friends who were exchanging accessories amongst each other. “COME MEET MY OTHER BEST FRIEND!!”

Iceland falters back and his face flushes in surprise. It also does not help that Seychelles sudden shouting has also drawn the attention of the other students. The group of girls run over and greet him enthusiastically.

Seychelles steps aside and proudly introduces him. “Like I said, this is my other best friend, Emil! He knows a lot about poetry, can read maps pretty well, and knows super awesome Norse stuff!” As the girls nod in response, Seychelles’ comments pique the interest of a girl in a yellow dress. “Ohhh, really? I study European history too! What do you know?”

Iceland rubs the back of his neck. “Oh, uh- for starters…”

The girls introduce themselves to Iceland and he exchanges the gesture in return. For a while, conversation and different topics ended up being thrown around in exchange, with Liechtenstein and Seychelles tuning in to the group. For someone not used to being surrounded by those unfamiliar to him, especially not all at once, Iceland finds himself starting to think that maybe it was not such a bad idea to come along after all. Although he can’t quite put his finger on it, there seems to be something missing.

Suddenly, the familiar tunes of obnoxious electronic beats and hip-hop come onto the speakers that Iceland and God knows that only one person can enjoy. He looks up to the far end of the gym.

Hong Kong has taken over the DJ System at the front of the stage. He has upped the blaring stage lights to flicker faster and has turned the volume to full max and is furiously headbanging to the terrible rap music that he has put on. He grabs a mic and fist-pumps it into the air. “LET'S HEAR IT FOR GROVELAND HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHHHH!!”

The audience uproars in response and their partying immenses. Seychelles and Liechtenstein beams and cheers at Hong Kong’s sudden takeover while Iceland stands there agape at what he is witnessing. 

What the genuine fuck??? wonders Iceland.

Hong Kong spots him in the crowd. They make eye contact. As Iceland's puzzled gaze meets him- Hong Kong only returns with a smirk.

Hong Kong points to Iceland in the crowd. “This next one goes out to my one and only man, Emil!!” 

And then Hong Kong proceeds to play a popular track from an Icelandic band. 

Hong Kong beams brightly at him from the stand, but Iceland can’t help but feel like a deer in headlights. As the other students turn to look at him, some staring and some giggling, Iceland can only stand there dumbfoundedly in embarrassment at the sudden turn of events against him. Nevermind that he was willing to give socializing a chance; he’s just been singled out with all eyes on him. 

Suddenly, Iceland nearly trips over himself as Seychelles drags him and Liechtenstein to the dancefloor, with the newly befriended teenagers joining in. As Iceland regains his balance, Seychelles takes Liechtenstein by the hands and they start dancing together. Liechtenstein is taken by surprise and her footing is off, but Seychelles guides her pacing and soon enough; they’re frolicking and laughing on the dancefloor. 

Iceland just blinks, who is once again unsure what to do next. As if the prom wasn’t overwhelming enough, being in the center of it only amplified it. His head is starting to throb. The music is blaring and it's a racket to his ears. The flickering of the lights have only grown more colorful and intensified. As everyone is jumping up and down around him, it’s already making him weary. He tries to exit the crowd, but someone shoves into him. They snarl at him. He apologizes, but he can barely hear himself over the noise.  

With this many things to process all at once, he is already weary. He hasn’t been here for that long, but Iceland feels so pathetic for getting so overwhelmed in a short amount of time. To give reaching out a chance, it’s something that he is no longer sure he’ll ever be able to figure out. Sure, that thought sounds irrational, but it’s a feeling he is unfortunately familiar with by now.

Then, he feels a familiar presence appear right beside him. 

“You okay?”, asks Hong Kong.

“Huh?”, Iceland slightly falters back and faces Hong Kong. The boy is giving him a concerned look. Realizing that Hong Kong was just on the stage only a couple of moments ago, he turns and squints up at the stage to see the former DJ handling the booth again. His look is frustrated as he figures out how to restore the original playlist. The DJ presses something and all of a sudden, the music amplifies even louder, causing Iceland to wince. From the look of the DJ, it is safe to assume it was an accident.

“I said, are you okay?!”, shouts Hong Kong. Iceland turns back to meet Hong Kong’s gaze and not wanting to look meek in front of his best friend, only responds with a weary nod and squeezes his eyes shut. Hong Kong shoots him a concerned look and grabs his hand, leading him through the crowd.

As Hong Kong navigates him, Iceland’s eyes are still squeezed shut and he presses his palm to his forehead. He squeezes Hong Kong’s hand and feels himself shuffling in between the party goers as they exit the crowd. As Iceland keeps his head down, he thinks about how stuffy the gym is and the mere embarrassment of his social progress only coming up short handed.

The noise gradually grows distant and he hears the opening of a door and shutting behind them. He opens his eyes and much to his relief, they’re back outside with the party now merely muffled behind him. The sun is long gone and it’s already dark. “Thanks”, mutters Iceland. At the warmth of the evening, he removes his coat. Hong Kong clasps his shoulder and steers them to a nearby bench under a tree. They both sit down. 

For a moment, it’s still between the two of them. Trying to pull himself back together, Iceland looks amongst the warm lights emitting from the windows of the neighborhood. The warm May breeze parts his hair. The only thing he hears is a distant family arriving home and the bare noise of the school gym.

Other than that, all is quiet, but it’s a pleasant contrast compared to where he was before. Iceland sags forward and rests his head on his fist. He glances over to Hong Kong who is studying him. He watches the street lamps turn on behind him. “Hey.” “Hm?” “Sorry about earlier.” “Ah. It’s alright.”

“Not really? Given the look on your face earlier.” “Well I mean, yeah, of course I wouldn’t enjoy being singled out like that.”, uncomfortable, Iceland looks the opposite way. “But it’s fine.” “Mmm..”, unsure what to say either, Hong Kong leans back against the bench. A moment of awkward silence sits between them.

Hong Kong breathes in. “I’m also really sorry for forcing you into this.” Iceland sighs. “No really, don’t worry about it. But, I’d think I’d rather just stay out here. Don’t you have a party to go back to?” “Sure, I guess, but what’s the point if you’re not even there?” “Huh?” Iceland looks back at Hong Kong, whose arms are now sprawled on the top part of the bench and his eyes are apathetically staring ahead. “Like, I wanted to hang out with you again. Lili and Jaque are easy to pull in, but it’s been a couple of months since I’ve last seen you. Excluding the calls,” Hong Kong nudges Iceland’s arm with the back of his hand. “I’ve missed you, man.” Iceland’s brow furrows. Great. Now he feels like a jerk for even complaining in the first place. 

Socializing has never been his forte, but for the past few months, he’s brought himself further away from the rest of the world, secluding himself to the Nordics and the occasional foreign nation for diplomacy, but besides that, he never realized it and it was for reasons he was unsure why.  Now, he is dealing with the pang of guilt of realizing that upon his negligence, his friends have been missing him.

Iceland was unsure how to respond, but Hong Kong seems to have already read his mind. “I thought sneaking into some high school prom would help get you back out there. After all it’s just a bunch of teenagers, who are like, waaaay less serious than adults. In which you have been spending all your time around with.”, Hong Kong jokes, but returns back to his concerned demeanor. “But I guess I thought wrong and it upset you. It didn’t work out.”, Hong Kong sighs. “I apologize.” “No..”, Iceland glances back. “You did your best. I can tell you at the very least, you’ve gotten some success.” Iceland gives his friend a lighthearted grin, who returns with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “Watcha mean?” “I mean, more like Seychelles had more success. Have you seen her? I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to befriend like 5 or so people within like 15 minutes.” Iceland chuckles. “Suddenly, her friends were swarming Lili and then she redirected them towards me, all of them asking about Iceland and history and stuff like a swarm of Puffins and a Herring!” Hong Kong’s grin widens. “Really? I thought I was irrational, but I’m starting to think she is like, way more impulsive than me.” Iceland gives him a light punch on the shoulder. “You still called me out and played fucking Icelandic rock. What the hell is wrong with you, man?” “Hey, I’m still sorry about that.” “Even then, how the hell did you even get up there? I swear to God, there was some guy before and he was not you.” “Gift from Alfred to Matthew to me, the guy’s got like serious fireworks.” “You brought fireworks!?” “Ehhh, just a small one. Got the guy distracted long enough for me to take over.” “You’re so fucking stupid.” “I know.” They both grin at each other and they burst out laughing. As the crickets begin to overtake the grasses and early birds residents dim their lights off for the night, the laughter of two, flawful boys fill their air. Maybe Iceland can’t get around to understanding people just yet, but even then, as Iceland watches Hong Kong’s smile grow, he at least realizes how much people would be willing to try to understand him. Ironically, for that alone, is all that needs his knows to willingly take the first step in reconnecting again. And Hong Kong seems to be his first step. Iceland couldn’t imagine any better option. Abruptly in the distance, a door slams open and the boys whirl their direction back towards the school. They see Seychelles and Liechtenstein bolting out of the gym with a group of teachers sprinting after them. Back at the gym entrance, the students are gathered and the peaceful night air is interrupted by collective howling and cheering for the girls.

“RUN!!! RUN!! THEY’VE FOUND US OUT!!!”, Seychelles screams at the two and the girls run past them. The boys immediately got up and started sprinting after the girls. “Nevermind, I think Jaque is more stupid!!”, shouts Iceland. They both crack a smile and they both burst into another round of laughter as Seychelles yell at the both of them. Despite currently being chased, Iceland feels everyone’s spirits high and he laughs louder with Hong Kong beside him. Then, they run off into the night.

#hetalia #aph hetalia #hongice #aph iceland #aph hong kong #aph liechtenstein #aph seychelles #hetalia fanfiction #fanfic #hongice week #hongiceweek2024 #seyliech

[snowneedsanap]

i have a lot of theories about the spider verse- but i’m just going to say what i think about atsv.

[spoliers. you have been warned. :} ]

so i’ve had this idea of fate and destiny, where miles (not in earth 42) was destined to be spider-man. there wouldn’t be a reason why, besides the fact that his story line collided with the other miles. confusing, i know. (let me get to the point.)

Miles (not the prowler one.) is destined to be spider-man, because the spider that bit him had a purpose, and went against the story line. so if anything- the spider is the anomaly. but it’s dead now, so there’s nothing to do.

if Miguel is criticizing Miles for being spider-man, because he originally wasn’t supposed to, then Miguel should realize there is a very out there that has him not as spider-man. who knows what spider bit him, and if anything, he should know better than to beat a 15 year old up.

Miles “going against” his original plot does exist, the spider was meant to escape and therefore, Miles was always supposed to be spider-man.

Miguel and all the other Spider people recognizing that there is a multiverse most likely makes more rifts and anomalies to happen, because worlds are colliding. even if canon events can be disturbed, if i knew my dad was going to die i would want to save him too; Miles has every right to fight for his dad’s life.

Miguel is an anomaly himself- “he’s not like other spider-man’s.” (talk about pick me.) because he doesn’t shoot webs, he shoots lasers. and what the hell did he inject himself with? venom? like his paralysis venom? the movie didn’t explain much.

i get that Miguel doesn’t want Miles to disrupt the canon event, but we also have to recognize that the Miguel who went to go visit his daughter was not apart of that world. so, if Miles were to save his dad from his own world, it could have a different impact. who knows if it’ll cause a black hole?

Didn’t Gwen Stacy also interrupt her dad’s original plot by joining the spider-people? Her dad was supposed to be captain, but when she left he quit. but a black hole didn’t appear, it just means that as long as someone doesn’t interfere with another person’s canon, (Miles saving the policeman from Pav’s world) then it doesn’t create a black hole.

does any of this make sense? maybe, in my mind. but i just thought to share this. give me credit if you explain something ok thanks :)

#across the spiderverse #atsv theory #miles molares #atsv miguel #miguel o'hara #theory #spiderman astv #astv spoilers #astv

[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas countdown to Christmas Day. We've 8 days left!!

The Real Santa Stalker

Erik's child has beef with Santa Claus, so he has beef with Santa Claus.

Tags: Dadmonger, Erik x Charlie, The Kompound

N'Jada was chosen as the lead in the 1st Grade Christmas musical and Erik was the proud father helping his baby girl learn her solo, singing her through it a line at a time to help with her enunciation.

She was a stickler who liked to do things RIGHT, but sometimes.. like this evening.. her little kid brain didn't align with her overall goal.

"You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout, I'm telling you why!"

That was the easy part. She sang that part with her entire chest. The part she had the most trouble with was remembering the order of the verses and-

"Rudy-toot-toot and ruh-papumpum. Day head dolls like tootle'n too. Elegant po and cannycanes too, OH!"

Erik could tell she didn't know what the hell half those words were. She thought she was hittin' it, and he knew that he should've coached her a bit harder because she could take the criticism.. but those lil mistakes were too adorable to correct. He didn't have her bother with written lyrics. When she got older and looked back at the video, she'd probably be irritated, but in the meantime..

"Sing it again Jada?"

It never got old.

"Daddy, why doesn't Santa give homeless kids houses," she asked suddenly out of the blue. Erik's brow ticked as he considered what to say. He didn't bother asking where she heard it. She was a vey smart kid.

"Daddy, I hate Santa Claus," she pouted.

"Well.. Santa gives toys, baby, he doesn't buy houses."

"He could! He could give little kids houses and food instead of toys."

"Baby he runs a toy shop, he would need a real estate license and a food safety license to serve food. It's not that simple."

"But you said Santa is magic and can do anything!"

"He can!" Erik checked for his wife, Charlie, over his shoulder briefly. "He can.." She wasn't there and would be pissed if she heard what he was about to say. "I'll tell you the truth.. sweetheart," he kept his voice low as he was sitting on the floor, at her level. "You know how me and your mom told you.. Santa is real?"

N'Jada's eyes were large as saucers.

"We kinda lied.. only real he is.. is a real BITCH!" He covered her lips with his finger. "But you can't say that, or you'll be on the naughty list.. Okay?"

"I wanna beat his ass," N'Jada jumped, giving the pillow and cushion a sample of those hands." She'd been taking karate for a year. Erik grabbed her hands.

"Damn, Will Smith. What I tell you 'bout that cussin.."

"Mommy's not here," she looked back with a lowered voice.

"Okay.. If mommy hear it, I can't save you," his brows rose.

"Daddy, it's not fair. Santa's not supposed to be mean to little kids just because they don't have money or mommies and daddies."

"Santa is an asshole and I never liked him either. I'm on your side, and Santa deserves to be taught a lesson. I have an idea. No cookies and milk for him this year. That should teach him to be nicer."

"Yeah, and he should say he's sorry."

"You're absolutely right," he poked her belly. "You're so smart."

Charlie had no knowledge of Erik and N'Jada's conversation when she took her daughter with her to the mall in search of gifts for family and friends. N'Jada wanted to ride in the children's train, eat ice cream, share a cinnamon bun with her mom, and shop for toys. She also loved Claire's. Charlie loved how happy she was, dragging her by the hand to look at everything that caught her attention. Then suddenly N'Jada stopped. She stared straight ahead at Santa and his elves and the line of children waiting to talk to him.

"You wanna see Santa?"

Charlie walked N'Jada over and stood with her in line. She didn't seem as excited as last year, but Charlie didn't ask why. She merely kept an eye on her daughter until it was her turn to see Santa and sit beside him. Then she started taking pictures on her phone. N'Jada's curls were freshly defined and put in one high puff. She was dressed in the cutest red plaid jacket, white turtleneck, black skirt, white tights, and black boots. She even had on a sparkly lip gloss that Charlie bought her, so she'd stop playing in mommy's make-up. That was another story.

"Hohoho! And what's your name?" Santa hugged N'Jada and she looked up, torn.

"Santa, why don't you go to poor kids' houses?" she huffed. "NaeNae said she asked for a place to live and you didn't do it, why?"

Santa was wordless, unsure of what to say to this little kid, and Charlie couldn't hear the conversation to intervene.

"Oh, I'm sure NaeNae will.. get a.. place to stay.." He looked clueless about what else to do or say. "That's not for a little one like you to worry about."

"NaeNae is my friend. If you're mean to her, then I don't like you!"

Charlie watched in shock as N'Jada punched Santa in the face, the elves entervening as he kicked him in the knee. Charlie dragged N'Jada away immediately, only stopping once they were four stores away.

"Why would you do that!" Her grip on the small plaid coat was tight, and she was on N'Jada's level ready to shake her lil ass up. "Why?"

"Cuz Santa's a bitch," she whined. Charlie had to calm herself before she reacted. "Santa's supposed to care about all the little kids and he's mean to NaeNae!"

NaeNae was a little girl in N'Jada's class who N'Jada spoke about all the time. NaeNae this, NaeNae that.. Charlie didn't know the full story, but from what she understood, NaeNae and her mom’s living situation was rocky.

"NaeNae wrote a letter to Santa last year for a house for her mom, and Santa didn't do anything."

Charlie understood and nodded. "Sageypoo, Santa isn't in the business of houses.. he only makes toys."

"But you and daddy said he can do anything."

"Within reason.."

This wasn't going well, and Charlie could feel N'Jada's frustration. She didn't understand why Santa wouldn't just do it. A lot of Charlie's clients during therapy struggled with similar questions about God. Why wouldn't he just do it? It was a lot to try and tackle. Charlie called Erik for backup and luckily Erik wasn't physically far away. He was driving and doing shopping of his own and getting his hair cut. He met Charlie and N'Jada at the entrance of the Crate & Barrell.

"Tag me in," he high-fived Charlie, picking up his child and sitting her on his shoulders. "Keep doing what you doing I'm a take this lil gangsta for a walk."

He took N'Jada around the mall and sent Charlie on some errands alone outside of the mall while he kept the child.

"You remember I told you I was on your side," Erik asked as N'Jada hugged his head. "What do you say we send Santa a message about being unfair to kids?"

"Let's find him," she said deviously.

Together, they tracked Santa through the mega-mall and even to the parking decks.

"Get down real quick. I'm a show you how to start a small fire, but you always have to be aware of your exit before you do it and the most important rule.. as it is with everything? Don't get caught."

He pulled off his jacket, and surely there was a gascan tucked away and waiting. He had planned this entire thing for N'Jada to make her feel better unbeknownst to Charlie.

"Never stop fighting for your friends, that's how you make a difference. Sometimes you have to take desperate measures to get shit done. Try it, you shake it."

N'jada poured gas over the jacket, and then her daddy finished it, having her step back as she flipped the lit match.

Santa walked by and instantly freaked out yelling, "FIRE!! FIRE!!"

Erik ran over to him and held him letting N'Jada give him the business with what she learned in karate. When Erik released him, he fell trying to get away and N'Jada rejoiced feeling like she'd gotten the ultimate revenge and her daddy was right there to help her.

They'd avoided cameras. Santa only looked drunk on CCTV and Erik's jacket was easily disposable. He didn't even like that jacket. It was from one of his in-laws and wasn't his style. He'd been itching to trash it or burn it, and this was perfect.

He gave N'Jada a high-five, and together, they walked back into the mall. She had a skip in her step. That's what a daddy was for.. to help do the things mommy wouldn't allow. This would be their little secret and inside joke.

@dashhoney25 @lettidarawest @soufcakmistress @ljstraightnochaser @princessstevens @eye-raq @thiccdaddy-mbaku @destinio1 @iamrheaspeaks @hidden-treasures21 @bidibidibombaclaat @forbeautyandlife @blowmymbackout @misspooh @thotyana-in-this-hoe @purplehairgawdess @thegucciwaffle @goddessofthundathighs @nobodybaby93 @theegoldenchild @thadelightfulone @sultanabby @mysticalblackhottie @baekhyunbabybunni @fd-writes @richonne4life @tgigoldie @thehomierobbstark @capswife @blackpinup22 @harleycativy @lishabaybee @playgurlxoxo

#original #erik killmonger #killmonger #erik stevens #erik killmonger fanfiction #black panther killmonger #black panther fanfiction #dadmonger

[wander-over-the-words]

are there any songs that you associate with deltaclair/topclair as a pairing?

Oh, yes! I have a few I can recommend for them! Surprised I’ve never brought it up myself tbh haha. But yes! Here’s some I’ve got for ya, bud (along with some lyrics from each and commentary cause why not):

Never Knew I Needed by Ne-Yo (from the Princess and the Frog)

For the way you changed my plans For being the perfect distraction For the way you took the idea that I had Of everything that I wanted to have And made me see there was something missing

For the ending of my first beginning And for the rare and unexpected friend  For the way you're something that I'd never choose But at the same time, something I don't wanna lose And never wanna be without ever again

You're the best thing I never knew I needed So when you were here, I had no idea You're the best thing I never knew I needed So now it's so clear, I need you here always

This one is The Main One, the very first song I think of if I wanna listen to something that makes me think of them. 

Might be a little generic when it comes to ship songs, but like. I mean just look at those lyrics! That is Sinclair thinking about how suddenly his plans for getting richer from Rapture’s bounty don’t mean as much as having Delta around. Hell, you could also say it’s Delta musing on how he thought it was just gonna be him and Eleanor against the world, but now he can’t view post-Rapture life without Augustus either. The next verse after that first chorus is very ‘Delta to Sinclair’ as well:

My accidental happily (Ever after) The way you smile and how you comfort me (With your laughter) I must admit you were not a part of my book But now if you open it up and take a look You're the beginning and the end of every chapter

Next one: Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley

Wise men say Only fools rush in But I can't help falling in love with you Shall I stay? Would it be a sin If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows Surely to the sea Darling, so it goes Some things are meant to be

Take my hand Take my whole life, too For I can't help falling in love with you

Okay, I recognise that this is like THE Generic Ship Song cause who the hell hasn’t imagined this fuckin thing for one of their ships, even if it’s not the Presley version, but the reasons I put it on the list are 

a) Elvis would be a big thing around the time the group get out of Rapture (supposing this is one of those fix-it AUs) so they would actually likely hear this song

And b) I just genuinely think it does fit them fairly well, what with the reference to “rush[ing] in”, since these two know each other like, what, a few hours tops? Depending on how long that train ride was from the time Sinclair first talks to Delta to the end; that’s a pretty damn short time for them to be like “this guy right here, he’s the one for me” And then there’s the line about “Would it be a sin” - I’ve always felt Sinclair would think himself having some damn gall to fall for a dude he practically had bagged up and shipped off to be turned into a slave, and I’ve always thought that’d make him have some complicated feelings about himself and the situation he’s faced with, but that’s just me. And let’s be real: romance was the last fuckin thing on either’s mind when they paired up, so they really couldn’t help falling in love with each other

Next one (and maybe a little controversial, depending on your view of the cartoon): Love Like You by Rebecca Sugar (from Steven Universe)

I always thought I might be bad Now I'm sure that it's true 'Cause I think you're so good And I'm nothing like you

Look at you go I just adore you I wish that I knew What makes you think I'm so special

If I could begin to do Something that does right by you I would do about anything I would even learn how to love

Angsty compared to the others. The entire song has good lines to apply to them, but that section in particular makes me think of the scenario of Sinclair dwelling on his guilt over what he did to Delta, and the prospect of Delta showing forgiveness despite that. Depending on how one characterises Delta, could be from his pov too! Whatever you want. 

Next song, and this one’s more from their time: Just In Time by Frank Sinatra

Just in time, I found you just in time Before you came, my time was runnin' low I was lost, the losing dice were tossed My bridges all were crossed, nowhere to go

Now you're here and now I know just where I'm goin' No more doubt or fear, I found my way For love came just in time You found me just in time

And changed my lonely life that lovely day

Pretty self-explanatory on this one, I think! (And they’ll be using that ‘lovely’ in ‘lovely day’ very sarcastically lmao)

Next one, another from ol’ Frank: I’ve Got You Under My Skin

I've got you under my skin I've got you deep in the heart of me So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me I've got you under my skin

I'd tried so not to give in I said to myself, "This affair never will go so well" But why should I try to resist when, baby, I know so well I've got you under my skin

I'd sacrifice anything come what might For the sake of havin' you near In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night And repeats, repeats in my ear

"Don't you know, little fool, you never can win? Use your mentality, wake up to reality" But each time that I do just the thought of you makes me stop Before I begin 'cause I've got you under my skin

The whole twist on the idiom of getting under someone’s skin is fun when you apply it to the ship, I think. I’m gonna be repeating myself here but:

Delta did get under Sinclair’s skin. He made him feel guilt over what he did to Delta, and fuck knows Sinclair didn’t feel any guilt when he fucked over the people of Pauper’s Drop or when he did all the other crazy shit he got up to in Rapture. Delta’s the first person that made him think back to what he did and actually like…feel bad about it? He actually did get under Sinclair’s skin, and bashed through the stone wall around that heart in his chest. 

Sinclair got under Delta’s skin too. Let’s be real - Sinclair and Delta were each other’s ticket out of Rapture, a means to an end, with Delta being the brawn and Sinclair being the brains. They were doin’ business first and foremost, purely professional. For Delta, it was just gonna be him and Eleanor - but then this Southern prick had to go and treat him like a person instead of just a Big Daddy (getting under the ‘skin’ of his Big Daddy self) and legit befriend him, and now Delta’s picturing Sinclair with the two of them when they all get out of Rapture and caring about his safety just as much as Eleanor’s. Tenenbaum’s voice was the first he heard upon waking up, but Sinclair was the person he got attached to during his journey.

It’s as I said above: Sinclair thinks himself having some mighty gall to fall for Delta after what he did, and I’ve often thought that any insecurity Delta would have about falling for Augustus would obviously come in the form of “I’m a fuckin monster, he doesn’t want someone like me, we don’t even know how human I still am under this suit”, so the both of them have the thought of “this affair will never go so well” and tried to resist, but they are under each other’s skin, deep in their hearts, so deep they’re a part of each other now

Next one, and the last from the good Mr. Sinatra on the list: You Make Me Feel So Young

You make me feel so young You make me feel so Spring has sprung And every time I see you grin I'm such a happy individual

The moment that you speak I want to go play hide and seek I wanna go and bounce the moon Just like a toy balloon

You and I Are just like a couple of tots Running across a meadow Pickin' up lots of forget me nots

You make me feel so young You make me feel there are songs to be sung Bells to be rung And a wonderful fling to be flung

And even when I'm old and grey I'm gonna feel the way I do today 'Cause you make me feel so young

Somewhat self-explanatory again; they’re a couple of middle-aged dudes (in Delta’s case; according to my hc he’s middle-aged) who have had just. the WORST damn time lately nrgngn They’re fuckin tired man, they make each other feel young and happy again

Before we move on, I just wanna give a shoutout to one more Frank Sinatra song (I’m a big fan of his, can you tell?) and say: the entirety of Come Fly With Me doesn’t strike me as a ship song for them. BUT

Once I get you up there Where the air is rarefied We'll just glide Starry-eyed Once I get you up there I'll be holding you so near You may hear Angels cheer, 'cause we're together

This part makes me Feel Things if you think of ‘up there’ as just the surface in general.

Anyways, onto the other songs -

Next one, another one from more their time: Happy Together by The Turtles

Me and you, and you and me No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be The only one for me is you, and you for me So happy together

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you For all my life When you're with me, baby, the skies'll be blue For all my life

(Ignore how it says ‘girl you love’ cause y’know) 

Okay, this one’s absolutely a joke NGRNGNRN

It started with me amusing myself with the ol’ gag about Sinclair simping for the Big Daddy and the thought that like. Delta does literally anything and on the outside, Sinclair’s like “haha u got it chief” 

but on the inside he’s like “I CAN’T SEE ME LOVIN’ NOBODY BUT YOU -” so now whenever I hear the song I just. Laugh

I thought I’d give it a mention just cause the idea still makes me laugh, so maybe it’ll make y’all laugh too NGRNGN

(It is also at least partially true to the ship as I see ‘em too, thanks to ol’ headcanon that Delta would be Sinclair’s first genuine relationship thanks to his years of being an emotionally repressed workaholic, and lemme tell you: Delta didn’t eye up anybody else when he had Augustus sitting next to him, all handsome and charming and pretty. and like. No offence to either dude but who the hell they gonna end up with if not each other at this point lmao Nobody understands them like the other does)

(And yes I recognise the song is technically about unrequited love rather than requited love but that’s the joke behind giving it to BioShock’s biggest simp)

Last one for now: I Don’t Have A Name For It by Steam Powered Giraffe

Well, it's the way [he] smiles and the way I swoon When [he] winks at me from across the room It's the way [he] laughs and the way [he] cries It's the way [his] hand fits perfectly in mine

Well, I don't have name for it, Been trying to find a name for it, I don't think there's a name for it, But it's kinda like being in love

[...]

Well, it's the way [he] can twirl on the face of a dime And the way [he's] always there like my partner in crime It's the curl of [his] hair and the gleam of [his] eyes And the heart in [his] chest that beats in rhythm with mine

(Changed the pronouns cause y’know) 

This one’s absolutely a generic OTP song - could apply it to pretty much any ship - but I’m putting it on the list just because 

I love the mental image of this being ‘hopeless romantic’ Delta’s thoughts when he’s musing about Augustus. Plus, a lot of the songs I find that make me think of them tend to be Sinclair’s pov for Delta, but this one exclusively feels like Delta being all giddy over Sinclair and y’know being all “Isn’t Augustus so great??” And maybe beneath the cheery lyrics and tune there’s a wee bit of identity issues from Delta’s pov, regarding his being a Big Daddy and his lack of memories. The chorus kinda makes me think of how Delta doesn’t remember his past self’s love life, so what he’s feeling for Augustus is - to Subject Delta - completely new.

And that’s it for now! There’re probably more that I’m forgetting about, but these are the ones I can currently recall. If I think of anymore, I’ll post about them lmao Hope you like ‘em c:

#Deltaclair #Subject Delta #Augustus Sinclair #BioShock #BioShock 2 #reply #answering #Topclair #sorry this took so long!! was distracted and forgetful ^^'

[writersblockismymuse]

I finally watched Across the Spider-verse yesterday and my gods was it a mistake. This man has me in a fucking chokehold. But noooo, he can't just be a sexy villain, because the universe hates me.

I could write an entire thesis on why Miguel's character is as good as it is, Especially in the context of Miles' personal journey. So, since my mind won't shut up about it, I'll just scream it into the void and make it everybody else's problem as well.

I think what I find the most compelling about Miguel is how, even tho ultimately he's not the main villain of the movie, nor the whole story, he still very much stands out. He doesn't stand out in the same way Spot does tho. He sure as hell is intimidating in his own right but while Spot is just downright horrifying both visually and narrative wise, Miguel stands out simply because he's not Spider Man.

He even says so himself, admits to us that he doesn't feel like Spiderman anymore. And while we're supposed to believe it's because of what he's injecting himself with (most likely Rapture but I also saw an amazing theory on how it was a dampener of sorts for his overly sensitive senses), the truth is that it's because he has lost sight of what it even means to Be Spiderman. All the trauma he went through, the pent up guilt and sorrow, and anger at what he's done and lost completely overshadowed everything else. While he thinks he's doing the right thing ultimately all he's doing is desperately trying to prevent what he went through from happening again and that clouds his judgment.

And the best/worst part is that he's right (to an extent). Because there Are limits to how much you can mess around in the multiverse, there Are lines that you can't cross or the world will unravel at the seams. I mean, he's made that mistake himself. He himself unknowingly became an anomaly when he replaced that other version of himself. And he messed up so many aspects of it, changed so many things with just his presence that ultimately that reality could no longer right itself out anymore so it unraveled instead.

And the worst thing is he didn't pay the price, because he Was the root problem of all of this, instead he watched an entire reality disappear because he dared to try and be happy. How do you cope after experiencing something like that? How do you deal with all that sorrow and guilt? Miguel obviously put two and two together and figured out it was his fault but because of all that unresolved trauma he went from one end of the spectrum to the other.

So instead he became obsessed with this idea that you can't change Anything. You can't touch absolutely anything or things will start falling apart immediately. That there are things that Have to happen whether we want them to or not. He saw how 'every' Spiderman was bitten by a spider, how 'every time' they lost a family member or the captain, and it fit into his perception so perfectly that he didn't even stop to question it.

He didn't even stop to think that maybe it wasn't that these things Had to happen, but because they happened to the same person. Because they are all mirror images of themselves. They represent the same person in each reality. They differ from each other just as their realities differ but they are ultimately all Spiderman.

Miguel's real mistake was confusing correlation with causation.

#miguel o'hara #spider man across the spider verse #spider man across the spiderverse spoilers #spiderman #spiderman 2099 #this man has me in a chokehold #can you tell #I am so obsessed with this series #the third movie can't come fast enough

[second-string-loser]

Second Chance is, and always has been, a rina song. Heres Why:

So second chance came on my shuffle the other day and for the first time I actually listened to the song like, thoroughly. And I'm genuinley in awe of how the verses actually foreshadow the arcs of each characters season three much, much better than they do season two. so heres an analysis of the entire song that took way too much time:

Verse One-

Right of the bat, ricky's line here is so rina coded its not even funny. at the time of the season two finale it wasn't totally clear what these lines meant, but as soon as season three gave us "can we just start over" it became clear that this line is obviously about Rina starting over, getting their second chance. Specifically from rickys side, because gina always gave it her all but ricky is the one who needed the second chance to prove that he cares about this relationship.

Now Nini's verse is not difficult at all to interpret. Shes leaving to go follow her dreams... thats it good talk.

Verse 2-

When it comes to EJ, we know that this boy values gina as a person in his life so so much. his verse to me really reads as an EJ in hindsight of the breakup. Misreading the signs obviously had a meaning in season two, but also has a lot of weight in the lens of portwells season three miscommunication. I think this line hints at the fact that EJ is going to feel tons of remorse over the way things ended with Gina and that he will (hopefully) truly show that he can become a better guy soon.

Ginas verse was honestly very confusing to me for a while, i wasnt sure what it was saying. But this post by the lovely @blues-valentine finally got it to me! For season two gina, ricky is the scary option. he has put her through hell at this point and even though he is avalible now, shes not willing to risk that pain again. so she puts her walls back up, and she chooses the safer option: EJ. This frames ej as the temporary option, the one she chooses when shes on the run, they were never written to be permanent.

Post Chorus-

The post chorus is interesting because for 3/4 of them its just repeating the line from their verse that summarizes their main point the best. Self discovery for nini, a new chance for ricky, and a temporary fix for gina. But this line isn't in EJs verse at all! The only one to sing something different than their previous solo. To me this is showing us how EJ keeps finding himself in this cycle of similar relationships that he thinks are supposed to work out but never do. I would put a lot of money on the idea that in season four, EJ will find himself in an unexpected romance somewhere he never thought hed find it. He needs to break the cycle in order to really grow. yeah that sounds pretty gay i know but i promise i didnt mean that it had to be gay. i sure would like it to be though

Chorus-

The chorus gets repeated a lot through the song, but this one is the one that shows what it really means in terms of the songs message. Nini is finally getting her second chance to fly, now that she is free of the reigns that her relationship was putting on her. EJ truly does have nothing ahead of him but another chance to fall... and fall he does. (its worth noting his tone here is so defeated and broken though, like he really doesnt want to fail but its an inevitability of this relationship just because of the circumstance). Gina is desperate to know "what can make the tide turn" aka what does she have to do to just not get hurt! And ricky.... well ricky wants to know how to get the spark he once had with gina back and better than ever. These are the lines that actually show us what each characters second chance truly is.

And finally... These are the parts of the song that to me REALLY set up the season three love triangle, and also foreshaddow the rina endgame of it all.

With the final chorus, ej and ricky have their own adlib lines that make it so. damn. clear. how this all is going to end up. the way ej says "it was just another chance to fall" is so definite, so sure. its clear that this is NOT just speaking about the little miscommunication that pw had in season two. its saying that the relationship as a whole was ALWAYS just another chance for ej to fall. and the pure desperation in "what does it take" just shows the way that ricky NEVER gave up on gina, even when it seemed like he did. and hes willing to do whatever he can to make gina happy, even if it means letting her go.

and finally, even though we've already spelled out how the entire love triangle is going to play out, we close the song by leaving one character behind and moving on with the three whos journeys we will continue to see throughout the rest of the show.

#hsmtms #rina #long post #ej caswell #gina porter #ricky bowen

[threewaysdivided]

Me over here in my corner thinking about YJDW, and how absolutely ironically sad it would be if after all the huffing and puffing about ghosts and all the hell he gave Danny, that Wally himself came back as a ghost post-Endgame and only Danny could see and talk to him.

I need to rewatch the OG show again but for a happier alternative, what if Danny saved Wally from his original fate?

(Young Justice: Deathly Weapons)

It seems my primary creative contribution to fandom has been the creation of a bespoke, artisanal brain-corner in which people are compelled to sit and think about DW 😅.  It’s nice to know that, while I may have sunk-cost-fallacy-ed myself into this hole, the rest of you are having fun climbing into it with me.

As for an Endgame!AU, that’s kind of complicated by DW’s… let’s say fraught relationship with canon.  I really like YJ Season 1, but as everyone and their dog has been unable to escape me telling them I think lead-showrunner Greg Weisman is an appallingly bad storyteller (in fact I think he writes like a cowardly, exploitative incel) and under his “creative control” the later entries became an infuriating mess.  Back when there were only two seasons in the mainline canon I used to cut Invasion a lot more slack – allowing it to coast on the uninformed and incorrect assumption that both entries came from the same creative team, and that the seeming disjointedness of Invasion’s narrative was the result of executive meddling or troubled production at a time when a lot of Cartoon Network’s PG animated shows were infamously being put through hell by the network. 

However, after the disappointment of the “revival” I did a little bit more looking into things and realised that what I actually liked was the output of Season 1’s distinct production team – a team which included heavy input from experienced DC creatives like lead-directors Jay Oliva and Michael Chang (previously credited on the Teen Titans 2004 series, which was also praised for good character-storytelling).  It became clear to me that there were actually two separate products:  Season 1 (plus a couple of early tie-in comics by non-Weisman writers)… and everything else.  Turns out that dropping your primary directors results in a directionless story, whodathunk?

Once I took off those rose-coloured glasses, I ran into the problem that it’s actually not possible to get from Season 1 to Invasion without fundamentally breaking the narrative in really unpleasant ways.   Deathly Weapons has since become fully canon-divergent from that break-point.  I want to pay respects to the arcs, themes and characterisation of the Oliva-Chang Season, which means Invasion wouldn’t reasonably happen in the DW!Verse.  Ergo, no timeskips, no character-assassinations, and Wally never gets randomly knifed to “subvert the expectations” of viewers who might be familiar with a prominent Flash-storyline from another unconnected continuity.  I’m not kidding: that is why Endgame ended the way it did, this is what Greg and Brandon think storytelling is, their opinions should not be trusted.

So in a way I guess that problem kind of solved itself.

But that’s not very satisfying, is it?

Looking back at my brainstorming notes from the before-times (when DW was planned with the loose possibility of connecting back into later canon), I had a post-Endgame future-fic idea which focussed more on Dick.  The idea was for Dick to end up at Danny’s apartment while trying to cope with losing Wally.  Once there I had a scene where he wanders aimlessly while Danny is out dealing with some unavoidable adult-life stuff, leading him to find some old photos of Tucker.  The main scene was going to be Dick having a “conversation” with Tucker’s (metaphorical) spirit - speaking to the memory of his foster-brother’s late best friend about his own now-gone best friend, and asking Tucker to look out for Wally wherever they might be now.

I suppose that’s more where my style of angst lands for grief/death arcs.  I like to focus on death arcs as a reflection of the character’s life – the specifics of their personality, the distinct impression their presence left on the people around them and how the unique hole they occupied aches without them.  I’ve mentioned this before in the Jason-ask but my general thesis is that we are haunted by absences more than presences; we project ghosts in attempt to fill the hole(s) left when someone abruptly vanishes from our lives.

Because of that I tend to have very different story approaches for metaphorical ghosts (which explore the internal struggles of living characters coping with a loss) vs literal ghosts (actual tangible creatures who represent an external struggle).  I know it sounds kind of ironic considering that I killed off about 70% of the core Danny Phantom cast for Deathly Weapons, but when I kill a character it’s usually so I can do a retrospective on the value of their life.  So long as they’re mourned well, I don’t personally feel a need to bring most “dead” characters back.

That said, there is a lot of potential angst that could come from someone “becoming a ghost” with the way I’ve been headcanoning it to work in Deathly Weapons.  In Chapter 16, Phantom mentions that ectoplasmic ghosts are formed when the impression of a dying person’s consciousness is preserved in ectoplasm and gives rise to a new entity.  In a best-case scenario you get a complete translation of the same person to a new bio-medium, but in other cases you might get an incomplete or warped impression – missing some pieces and exaggerating others, like a reflection in a funhouse mirror.  This is how I like to explain the humanoid DP ghosts being so gimmicky and single-minded: they’re a flanderization built from only the strongest parts of their living personality at the moment of death.  It’s also one of the reasons why Phantom and the others don’t rush to “well, they might be a ghost now” as an easy solution to characters dying or being presumed-dead.  Sure, that character might not be entirely gone… but would the pieces that remain actually be them?

It’s a style of horror that isn’t especially my bag, but I think there’s a lot of potential angst mileage in that specific brand of “came back wrong” – leaving a ghost that is uncannily like you but is missing the specific memories or details needed to actually make you you.  A familiar stranger – unable to be the person they were, having no say or fault in being what they are, but who everyone has to deal with anyway (especially if they retain enough memories to understand that they know you).

That said, there would be no situation in which Wally came back as complete ghost where he wouldn’t be completely pissy about it.  Just, the indignity of it all, really.  

Still, I think it’s worth considering that, while Wally is certainly giving Danny hell with where he is in the story right now (Mission 1 of Arc II at the time of this post), in any five-years-later post-DW scenario the two of them would be a lot more chill with each other.

While some of the YJ cast have ended up with relatively static planned personal arcs throughout DW (for clarity, a static arc is where a character doesn’t experience substantial personal change across a story – they may receive elaboration into their personality, history and/or develop new relationships with others but by the end they are still mostly the same person) I hope people can trust that Wally isn’t one of them.  Him acting like a sulky, stinky jerkass right now isn’t because I’m planning on having him be The Sulky Stinky Jerkass™ for the entire story, but because he’s at the start of his major personal arc.  His flaws are on full display at the moment because he’s going to have to confront those flaws, how they hurt him and others, and make the decision on whether (and how) to be better.

The loose timeline for DW’s planned story is that the main arc (right now comprising 11 planned missions) takes place over 6-ish months from the point where Phantom first joins the Team.  Wally’s personal arc is planned to be part of that.  Add an additional 4-and-a-half years on top of that and they would have had a lot of time to let the water settle under the bridge.

With that being said, we’re heading into the stormiest parts of the water at the moment.  The interpersonal angst is going to get much worse before it gets better.  Not somebody-dies level, but some people are going to hurt each other quite badly before the resolution and a LOT of yelling is going to happen. 

Here’s a teaser for one of the worst lines :

“Better that than some green-wood who gets people hurt because he wanted to play hero!”

Yeah, things are going to get mean.  It may be a different flavour than some expected but I am nonetheless intending to serve 4 chapters of angst, and more than one of the boys is going to get served a lot of crow to eat over that mess.

#kaiobeast #young justice: deathly weapons #young justice #Invasion Critical #Sorry this is yet another squirrel-answer but the truth is that Endgame just... doesn't happen in any of my versions of the DW!Verse #3WD Answers #that whole story never made sense to me on rewatch and I only gave it a pass because I thought they had just flubbed the execution #I feel like people may think I don't like Wally #I actually do #It's just that I saw an opportunity to explore a whole bunch of his flaws in a compelling way #and I mean... c'mon it's me. I couldn't NOT do that #so I can guarantee angst in the next 4 chapters #it's just going to be more interpersonal than paranormal #ooky-spooky drama is for later #there's even a scalpel involved ;)

[teal-skull]

Powerwolf doesn't take anything seriosly and No prayer at midnight might just be about sex....

but lemme switch to analysis mode for a sec to ramble because I think I'm seeing commentary on hypocrisy and/or religious criticism.

So the overall story seems to be about this small parish who obedient serve the lord and the clock with the lead of their priest. However when the clock turns to midnight all religious principles seem to become obsolete and they revel in sin. I don't know wether this is part of the religion (so they serve during the day to make up for the sins they commited at midnight or maybe partying isn't even a sin if you do it at midnight) or if the parish is rejecting religion for the night even if they shouldn't. Maybe the video is about hypocrisy of being a believer who rejects their faith at night to sin, or then not.

At the end the priest breaks the clock, stopping it to midnight forever which could symbolise breaking free from the cycle of sin and repent? Or rejecting religion all together? (Maybe to keep sinning forever?)

Its the second verse that keeps me thinking:

(Copy pasted from Genius, but they had some holes which I tried to fill s cording to my best ability)

Never dare to unattend the sermon

For the mass is what you can't betray

Any given day we praise the lord

Its all we must obey

Send your (???) in your final hour

We remember all the rights (?) who/to say

May your body rest in peace and prayer any night and day

(Pre-chorus)

No! Break out of sainted holy fire

I said no! Wait for the end on burning pyre

I'm considering what is the message / story they are going on this part specifically. In the music video Attila is walking around the "church" and pointing (holier than thou -kinda way) to the parishians cleaning the place where they missed a spot. This is probably my bias, but I see a religious leader using religion as leverage to make his followers work for him. (I mean they might also be doing it voluntarily as a community and they just have a leader making quality checks in which case this video isn't criticising religion)

When you combine this with the lyrics it seems like the song is encouraging to break free from binding religion (or reject it just for nighttime, and in the morning everything goes back to normal) because "no prayer can testify" (during midnight?)

The pre-chorus that really gets me, because it tells "to break out of sainted holy fire" which I interpret specifically as breaking out of religious rules which are imposed with the threat of hell and eternal torture. The word choice "sainted holy fire" is interesting because it gives this idea that it's messed up that a fire which is supposed to hurt you has been made sacred and you should break free from that.

If we read "end on burning pyre" to mean Hell (because cremation wasn't traditionally part of a christian burial even though today it is normal) the above point is emphasized even more with rejection to just wait to end up in hell, Kinda like saying "No, I'm not going to fear for Hell anymore or wait for afterlife"

Now, "end on burning pyre" could also mean funeral and/or death, which gives another interesting interpretation where the message is "I refuse to think of my mortality" or "I cast away my fear of death to live in the moment"

I don't believe that this is necessarily what the band is trying to say. I'm probably looking too deeply into this. I might also be misguided by my personal bias because I look at Powerwolf from atheist/agnostic perspective, so I'd appreciate if other people could share they thoughts about this.

#powerwolf #no prayer at midnight #pw

[musashi]

[forgive the formatting of this post, i am kind of terrified of the fandom and i don't want to censor myself when talking about my special interest]

so like... i don't know anything about music, so idk if i can answer this question the way you want. i just know what songs sound good to my ears. so i don't really have anything analytical to say, last time i got analytical about tm/taa//am i got nitpicked to high hell and i just. still haven't recovered enough to get in that headspace again. BUT i can tell you my favourite songs and why i like them! and which ones i think are most impressive to an amateur's ear. so here's that.

the samurai always wins

constantly in awe of this one. musically it is this glorious romp that i think about whenever my mind is allowed to wander. it's a proper courtroom battle in song form, at one point you've got a fucking 5-part cacophony going on and it sounds erratic and insane and BEAUTIFUL. one of my favourite parts is how passionate miles sounds when singing his first verse in this song because it sounds like he is just really really stoked to be singing to the tune of the steel samurai theme.

miles is kind of the shining star of this one for me (altho cody is fucking amazing too like he is SPITTING FIRE) because i really like how, lyrically, it expands upon a piece of characterization that is really easy to miss when you are playing this case in the games:

like :) alright :) again this is in the games but you will miss it if you arent looking for it and you will especially miss it if you don't know miles' backstory.

TSAW fucks so hard that even though turnabout samurai got cut from the reboot, it was repurposed into redd white adieu. and of course it was, how do you let THIS song go? i'm really glad it persisted and i wouldn't change that for the world, but obviously, nothing can best the original.

2. anything to win

alright so while this song is in both iterations i am insanely biased for the original cast and so that's what you'll be getting for the links but i will talk about. both of them. because i have things to say

i have a parasocial relationship with laflin's manfred. i just found out the other day that not only is he this manfred, my fave manfred, but he is also manfred from the jellopocalypse videos im obsessed with. this motherfucker has been my two fave manfreds this whole time. i thought he was two seaprate guys. motherfucker

TM ATW changed my brain chemistry. i mean that. it introduces manfred von karma in a MUCH softer way, which is included in this upload--him and miles talking about justice, and the court system, and probably my favourite, amazingly succinct representation of how miles' ideals twisted EVER:

miles: these are people's lives we're dealing with. my father--!

miles: ...my father...

manfred: your father was killed by one of the very criminals he sought to protect, my dear boy.

it paints this image of miles, lost and grieving, and takes the time to remind you that however corrupt mvk is, it was him holding miles aloft in the aftermath of everything. it's the first time i consciously remember stopping dead in my tracks and thinking about the prospect of a softer take on him, and as everyone who follows me knows, that ended up being the characterization i fell in love with.

and then the fucking church organ kicks on and the latin chanting starts up and i think you are supposed to be scared shitless, but i am kin with franziska, so i am hearing a lullaby. i am on the edge of my seat in an ornate courtroom enraptured. i am 3 years old being carried down the winding halls of a giant mansion in munich. i am at peace.

the thing that a lot of people disagree with me on is that manfred von karma is charismatic. i can understand the idea that i might be biased here, i am not opposed to it, but i genuinely think he is? it's not that i think he's... charming, per se, but i feel like i am inexplicably drawn to him and i don't think that is just me. i feel like that's... meant to be a fixture of his character? that when he speaks in court you want to listen. that you feel almost powerless to speak up yourself. he opens his mouth and i am quiet, i want to LISTEN.

one of the reasons i love this song, and laflin's performance specifically, is because i feel it so strongly it almost aches in my chest. his voice is so rich and bassy and it's thunderous in a way that is comforting, like a warm thunderstorm rolling over a prairie. i feel like i am alone in church prostrate before a god that i am delighted to dedicate myself mind body and soul to. i feel like when people say "god of prosecutors" i understand, because this song is like divinity white-hot in my blood. i swear to god i am not trying to be dramatic. this song makes me feel alight.

the vocal performance aside, the fucking LYRICS?

RIP to my favourite verse in the whole song which got cut from the taa//am version, don't cross von Karma / Perfection incarnate

one thing i love about the ta/a//am version that isn't in the OG tho is the foley work of manfred's cane tapping on the floor as a sort of metronome while he sings. they use this effect a lot in taa///am and i am ETERNALLY grateful for it, especially because the AA fanbase in all their obsession with flanderizing mvk into the most despicable bigot imaginable likes to forget that he's disabled. i really love that it is impossible to ignore in the reboot, and how they turn that aspect of him into kind of a funeral dirge.

the latin in the reboot version also contains the final verse 'miles is innocent / but i'll do anything to win' and that might be the most big brained fucking thing to ever ever ever happen, ever.

comfort character? no. comfort song. i listen to this one whenever im having trouble sleeping and it knocks me out instantly, unlocks some primal part of my brain. maybe i truly am just a useless kinnie.

ok i'm done. for now.

3. it's gotta be the butz!

objectively my favourite song in the whole musical. zero hesitation when asked. it's fun, it's silly, it's got the almost christmas meme, i wish i had more to say but just listen to it. i really love the drumbeats in place of the gunshots during cross, i love the banter!!!! i again think manfred is my favourite part of this whole song.

this song also contains my favourite verse in the whole musical, which i have written extensively about here. there is also a meme that i made to more succinctly encompass my feelings on the matter:

seriously manfred is so fucking funny here. this is a colossal waste of time. i demand this witness be dismissed and ideally drawn and quartered. that man needs a lobotomy. im fucking howling.

reboot version is good, they added some little leitmotifs and christmas bells and they are cute!!!! my favourite thing the reboot did was replace all of maya's parts here with miles. i think that is WAY more thematically appropriate and turns it into a song that not only parallels the class trial, but is now just larry and his two best friends roasting him. it was a REALLY good choice.

not much else to say please just listen.

4. 600,000 volts

i love. love. LOVE the instrumentals for this song. the strings have me insane. the fact that its a waltz. the way that manfred sounds poised up against such light and airy instrumentals. i'm a little obsessed with the melody of 600k because when played in the overture it sounds, like... light, and free, and soaring? as opposed to how sinister it is in its proper context. something about the lyrics, the monologue before he charges them, and the breaks in dialogue.

i am... a massive critic of 600k in the reboot. i don't think that the actors are given enough room to breathe and speak in it. i have tried with all i am to not compare the new cast to the original too much, but i think what compels me about laflin's manfred is that he speaks very slowly, in a way that is almost a little infuriating. like get to the end of the sentence, damnit! i have places to be! but that is a good thing, because that is the character. it reminds me of manfred's finger-waggling sprite in the games, how long it is, how the text box doesn't show up until he's done, and how you have no way of skipping it. you have to wait, because he is in control, and you are at his mercy. laflin speaks like that, somehow. it's technically impressive.

i am also a critic of some of the voice direction in the reboot--i don't think it is as tight as the original, i don't feel like it sounds as natural as a lot of the dialogue in the og. some actors are really pulling their weight despite it, but it's just something i've noticed a lot, and i think 600k is the biggest example for me. but like, i don't think young's manfred is bad or anything, i just think the song is mixed in such a way that he's not, like, allowed to let his sentences kind of sit on the air. and i want to take it for what it is and not care or compare those two performances, but i just. cannot get it out of my mind how much i wish he was allowed to talk a little slower, a little more sinister, a little more imposing. it's a shame, because other than that, it's a fucking amazing performance! god, the way he BELLOWS the word tenfold is phenomenal!!! the way his voice fades into a whisper, the quiet evil chuckling as he's giving phoenix two more, like BESTIE!!!!!!

and my dissatisfaction with the bulk of the vocal performance is made even worse by the fact that the instrumental and sound mixing for 600k in the reboot is VASTLY superior to the original, which is rare for me to say. but i'm posting it here because you NEED to hear it.

there is something so... mournful. i don't know. i cant explain it. i just. i love this fucking song. it's grown on me so much.

oh! another thing i really like about the reboot is they changed the lyric from 'lest you let your girlfriend be slain' to 'lest you watch this child be slain,' which i really like because 1. heteronormative mvk was weird to begin with and 2. he literally has a daughter maya's age! it's a subtle acknowledgement of franziska (one of two in this song) but it almost makes him all the more evil because you're like oh yeah she's his daughters age. OH HE'S ABOUT TO ASSAULT A LITTLE GIRL HIS DAUGHTER'S AGE AND HE KNOWS THAT AND HE DOESN'T CARE. EVIL MAN!!!

i love manfred von karma.

5. trial by fire

A RARE ITERATION OF A REBOOT SONG I LOVE SO MUCH MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL. in the original this was a skip for me every single time. i just was not a fan. but the fucking GLO UP IT GOT!!!!!!! i don't even know what it is but just something about switching the verses around and adding some more variety to it, plus using its main melody in a parallel song, just really fucking had it growing on me.

but more than that, it's a set of lyrics that just really got me in my heartstrings:

these ones. are just SO fucking romantic, like i love their love, i don't talk about it enough because they're a little overrated and plenty of other people are talking about them, but every once in a while it will just HIT me how sweet they are about each other, and its shit like this. hearing phoenix wax poetic about this boy he so clearly had a crush on from day one, and how he kept those feelings so close to his heart the whole TIME, it just gets me. i love a lot of things about phoenix wright but the fact that he is a hopeless romantic, a lover to his core, is literally one of my favourite things about him.

and then the song just doesn't let me breathe and hits me with:

for reasons that are probably obvious to anyone who's been following me longterm, the concept of someone having a shit reputation, loathed by countless people, simply because they are abrasive and difficult and unpleasant to be around--even when they have not actually done anything wrong--having one person who loves and believes in them despite it all, well. its a very sensitive topic for me. and so these lyrics really punch me in the gut, every time.

annnnnd the best song in the entire TM/TAA///AM CANON IS:

WHO KILLED GREGORY EDGEWORTH. MOTHERFUCKER.

what the fuck do i even say about this? i don't know if i've had enough time to recover from it to analyze it. so i'll just talk about my favourite part of the song:

during maya's 'not yet! object!' part of the song, if you listen with your whole heart, you will hear gav's fucking astounding performance as miles edgeworth, and you will hear him weeping the fucking lyrics, I killed my own father / I killed him / I confess.

i am incapable of functioning during this lyric. it is a full body lockdown. i am usually walking home, and i have to stand there on the sidewalk, unmoving. i feel lightheaded. i am not exaggerating. music has never done this to me before. i think what i am experiencing is, again, just kinnie bullshit. i think it hits a button in my soul that overloads me with protective big sister energy and i lock up because i cannot do anything but sit there and listen.

and then it fucking HITS ME, with NO TIME TO RECOVER, with maya and mia's fucking harmony on The second bullet / Must have been taken away.

that harmony makes my fucking soul explode. the way maya says the final verse. the way maya solves the case. the way it's all maya, but mia is there for that brief moment JUST to sound beautiful with her before the song stops, then ramps back up, and then ends gloriously. i don't know what else to say. i cannot describe this song to you. please just listen to it on full volume with your heart bursting and full. and know i am crying somewhere in rapture that it exists.

thank you for this question. i am so happy.

#wendy rambles #colossal waste of time #<- my new tag. harder for people to search hopefully #wendy answers #anonymous #Youtube

[goddessofroyalty]

I’m totally in love with your zaun family and first heat care aus! I was wondering if you had any thoughts about jayce, Mel and Viktor having pups in your first heat care au and if so how would the whole pregnancy work if an omega had two alphas? Would it be like how cats can get pregnant from multiple fathers or would it be more like humans? Also how would ambessa be like when she found out about viktor’s pregnancy? I’m totally in love with your writing❤️❤️❤️

Technically it is possible for a person to get pregnant with twins (or I suppose triplets) with different fathers. It's just really really rare (partially because it needs a few things to line up to be possible). But that's a digression.

In this verse I feel like twins are noticably more common than in our world (but possibly still not more common than singles) and just because of the whole fertile period being captured in a heat it's a fair bit more common to see twins with different fathers but obviously only when there are two fathers being involved in the heat-satisfying.

What that means for any pregnancy resulting from that heat? I kind of don't know because I didn't think that far in that idea. I do think they'd up in an awkward position where while they themselves don't care about the parentage of any children that result they kind of have to know because Viktor has the weakest 'name' of the three of them so it makes sense to give the children their sire's name and to do that they have to know the sire. So while they try their hardest not to be influenced by knowing which child is whose/who sired the child it certainly influences how everyone else interactes with/about the child and that ends up affecting how they behave as well (because they kind of have to give preference to their blood-child at least in public because that's the one people see as reflecting back on them).

Alright so looking at Mel compared to her mother makes me suspect that Ambessas pretty-twink-lover-servant is not an outlier and that her type swings towards dainty and slight (even if I think Noxus culture probably generally goes towards 'strong mate = strong pups'; she doesn't have to perfectly abide by her culture and hell keeping a collection of kept pretty-people is a pretty strong statement of your power and wealth). So she's not judging Mel's taste in Viktor entirely she's more judging the situation. Firstly SHARING no Mel should not be sharing her omega in Ambessa's mind - that's basically admitting she sees Jayce as her equal and she shouldn't be doing that (even if she can appreciate that for an alpha Jayce is rather pretty as well and if her daughter swings that way as well who is her mother to judge her?). I also think she does not understand why Mel just lets Viktor keep doing his science-work and set the tone/pace about a lot of things because that's just not what they do - he's clearly pushing himself to far what does that say about Mel and her ability to provide for him? There's... a lot of arguments happening between Mel and her mother (but I mean they're doing that anyway this is just another topic of them).

#MelJayVik #Mel Arcane #Jayce Arcane #Viktor Arcane #arcane omegaverse #omegaverse #arcane mpreg #mpreg #arcane #ramblings of the goddess #q and a with the goddess #anon question #Ambressa who damn well knows DNA tests exist #demanding to know how Mel intends to tell who the sire of the baby is

[aprillynskuhrovec]

Hell of a View||Prologue

Pairing: Jax Teller x Original Female Character

Synopsis: Jax Teller, former prince of Charming, left the only life he's ever known at 18 years old, determined to honor his father's wishes and make a life for himself outside of SAMCRO. 10 years later, he is involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident that places him in a coma. When he wakes up with severe memory loss and no recollection of the life he currently lives, his wife is left to pick up the pieces and win his heart back, and help him remember why he left the MC in the first place, despite his mind telling him to head back to Charming and to the only life he truly knows.

Loosely based on the movie The Vow.

Rating: M. Minors, don’t even think about it.

Warnings for chapter: cursing, questioning of faith and religion, mentions of a motorcycle accident, mentions of a loved one being in the hospital.

Author’s Note: Thank you guys for all of the love that you’ve shown on my little sneak peek! I’m super excited to finally be writing this - it’s several years in the making! Please note, that while I am a MAJOR Sons fan (I’ve seen it seven times all of the way through, it’s a masterpiece) this story is heavy alternate universe and out of character for some of our boys (more-so Jax than anyone else). If you’d like to be added to the tag list, please message me and I’d be happy to add you!

Song suggestion for this chapter: If Tomorrow Never Comes by Garth Brooks

••

HOSPITALS HAVE always felt similar to a place of worship for me. In my lifetime, which, albeit has not been very long, I have always seemed to do the most praying within the confines of these four walls. The invocation that I was doing at Anna Maria Memorial Hospital extended far beyond that of customary bedtime prayers to the Man upstairs.

The praying that I was doing - that I have continued to do, despite my doubts, ever since I got the call - was that of a matter of life and death.

At this point in what has been the longest day of my life thus far, I don't know if I still believe in Him - in God - enough to keep praying.

I do, however, believe in my husband. I know that he is the strongest man on the face of this Earth, despite the amount of machines that are working overtime to keep him alive.

I also believe in love.

To some, love is just a four-letter word, but to me, love means so much more. Corinthians chapter 13, verses 4 through 8 tells us that love is patient and kind. It does not envy, it does not boast; it is not proud. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.

That though.... that's the watered-down version of what love is supposed to be. Those words are nothing but a load of fucking bullshit.

Love is complicated. It's messy, and at times, turbulent. Sometimes, love can be calm and quiet, like the stillness of morning as the world awakens for the day. Love is vulnerable, and it is showing the worst parts of yourself to someone, and having them still accept you. Love is your partner making the parts of you that you think are the most ugly, those riddled with scars, and pain, and hurt, feel beautiful. Love is the comforting, warm sensation that you get from a good glass of wine, or hearing the opening chords of your favorite song. Love is forgiving.

Love, too, can sometimes make you feel like the people that were still playing music as the Titanic began to sink. It's gorgeous, selfless, and essential, but it can be temporary and heart-wrenchingly sad, all at the same time.

Love is not perfect. It is not an illusion, and it is not smoke and mirrors. Love is flawed.

But, then again, so is life, and faith, and destiny; all of which I believe in much more than God, and prayers, and bible verses right now.

Destiny is the idea that the events in our life follow a set plan - one that has a purpose. It is a pre-determined course of events far beyond human power or control. I may not have known it then, but, I know now that I was always meant to walk into LAX at exactly 5:21 PM on the evening of May 17th, 2016 and randomly choose Sarasota, Florida as my vacation destination. It wasn't a coincidence after all that I was aboard the only plane in over two years - that's what the flight attendant for Southwest Airlines said at least - that made an abrupt landing due to mechanical issues. It was written somewhere in the stars that the state of Nevada just so happened to change their laws, and wouldn’t allow annulments of marriages until six months after the wedding date. That one, small change gave Jax and I a chance to see if we could thrive together in the real world, outside of the bubble that he and I created with one-another over those few short days in Sin City.

All of these events - these moments, these bits of high intensity that turn our lives upside down, define who we are. Each of us is the sum total of every moment that we have ever experienced with everyone that we have ever known. These moments are the ones that become our history, and these moments are the ones that lead us to our destiny. They seal our fate for how life is supposed to turn out.

But, what if you fuck up, take the path that you were never supposed to, and piss destiny off?

What happens to you then?

Jax Teller was destined to be the heir of the throne - the president of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club. He was never supposed to leave Charming, even though that's what his late father, John Teller, wanted for him. His destiny was never supposed to include two tours in Iraq, a small beach house in Florida, his own auto body shop, and a little girl that he loves more than anyone else in this world.

Especially if it led to him laying in a hospital bed in a fucking coma.

I don't know how we are going to get through this. I don't know what I'm supposed to tell our daughter, who thinks that this man hung the moon and stars - which he did, there's no doubt it my mind that he did, especially for her. She has been wrapped around his finger since the day she was born.

I don't know how much longer he can keep holding on. I don't know how many times I can keep praying for him to wake up and squeeze my hand, just like he's done a thousand times before.

One thing I know is that at least we will get through this together, as a family. We will face this head on, as husband and wife; as Jax and Alana Teller, just like we have every other curve ball that has been thrown our way these past seven years.

Because, I also believe in us.

And that’s the most important thing I needed to believe in right now.

#sons of anarchy fanfiction #sons of anarchy #jax teller #jax x oc #the vow #fanfiction